Secondary battery



July 18', 1933.l

E. T. WILLIAMS SECONDARY BATTERY Filed' sept. 21", 1929 VU@ fran/V529 35 vention can 'be made readil Patented July 18, 1933 PATENT orifice ERNEST axioms WILLIAMS, 'oF comme GREEN, nonnen, ENGLAND SECONDARY BATTERY Application led 'September 21, '1929, Serial No. 394,224, and in 'Great Britain Utolier I3, '1823.

- "6 or fact as the base ofthe active material.

' The invention has for its main objects to rovide aconstruction of grid which shall e capable of `rgiving long service Without substantial physical or chemical deteriora- *llm tion in use, and which shall be strong, durable and Well adapted to retain its active material under the elects of vibration.

These advantages follow in part from the fact that-grids in accordance with this inand satisfactor'ily from worked, (e. g. roled) lead which may havea smaller antimony content than is Acustomary with the fusa-all cast 'grids and which does not present the mechanical,

I0 physical and chemical disadvantages attend` ant upon the use of the materials of which `such cast grids are made at the present time.

According to this invention, fa grid "or equivalent active material carrying structure of an accumulator is constituted by one or more sheets of expanded lead or lead alloy. The Said sheet or 'sheets may be, if desired, supported or contained by a substantially rigid framework, which may be 'of 'cast but 40 is preferably of extruded, rolled or solid drawn lead .or lead 'alloy' wire, rod, ribbon, tape, plate or bars, whereby Vthe completed element for the accumulator has the required Adegree of stiness.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a number of typical ways of carrying the invention into practice. f Figure 1 shows-one form of an expanded sheet with an unexpanded portion at the 4 upper end. Figure 2 shows a frame to recelve the tree ends of the expanded sheet. Figures 3 and 4 show alternative forms of expanded sheets. Figure 5 shows a complete grid. Figure 6 illustrates either a complete single piece grid with stifle/ningr or supportlng cross rlbs or a `rnd built up from a number of smaller elements. Figure 7 represents how a large grid made up from a number of smaller completed grids. Fig- 50 ures 8 and 9 show diagrammatcally in part sectional elevation and sectional plan o'ne method 'of reinforcing the edge members for a sheet of expanded metal.

In the form illustrated in vFignre -l Sheet A of expanded naa er iena alloy las a plain unexpanded *portion B fand an exparidad portion C. The sheet A is adapted to be enclosed in a channel 'Work frame 'of lead or lead alloy D, E, F, (Figure 2) to enclose the expanded 'ed-ges This 'frame may be pressed on over the 'ed'geso'r the exganded 'portion C, and/or may be riveted,

urnt or wel-ded on to it, 'or 'the frame can be cast 'around the edges of the expanded portion.l The piece B may be ldoubled over 'on itself and any 'hugs desired may `'be W'elded or burnt on to it, 'or the piece A may be curso as to inclnfde any desired lugs 'o1-the like as 'part thereot Two 'or more plates similar to the plate VA irnfay -be used, one be'- ing superimposed on the other 'so that pref erably the mesh of metal of "one plate is op'- posite the openings on the other. The lates may then be enclosed in the fname D, l, F. The portions B 'of the plates may `be burnt or Welded together on 'the edges and dealt With as described alcove for tl'ie singleplate for providing the lugs' &c. VV-her'e the frame D, E, F meets the port-ion B it may be burnt '0r Welded to it, and any lugs or protrusio'ns may be provided on frame D, E, F as necessary.

In the 'form illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 a sheet .A1 (Figure 3) of 'expanded lead or lead alloy has plain unex'panded portions B and B1, and a second sheet G (Figure 4) has unexp'anded portions H and H1. The meshes in the sheets may be arranged as shown or at any other desired angles The sheetG is superimposed on the sheets A1 and the nne'xpanded portions of sheet A1 are folded over the expanded edges of sheet Gr, while the nnexpanded portions of sheet G are folded over the expanded edges ot sheet Al. The edges of the plates are then pressed together, and burnt, Welded or rivetted or otherwise similarly treated as desired.

If desired the frame at the' edge of the c assembled sheets may be cast by placing the 10 assembled sheets in a mould and running in the molten lead or lead alloy. Again thc .trame at the edges may bc reint'oreed by rods. bars, wires. meshes or the like by asscnihling' the reintorcrment about the, edgies bis-'tore joining the trame or by usine: reinforced bars or the like for the trame members. Figure 5 shores one Jform ot the complet-e element with framing and lug l complete.

In Figure 6. intermediate ribs J. Jl. are shown connectingr the edge framing members. These ribs in addition support or stitl'en the expanded sheet or sheets.

-lfiirure 6 can be read also to illustrate a grid. pl ate or the like made up ot a number of small elements connected by the ribs J. Jl.

A large grid can be made up as shown in Figure 7 trom a number of complete elements formed as above described which can be united by burning or casting and the said large grid may be provided with strengthening rods or bars arranged intermediate. to the. trame members at the edges. similarly to that shown in Figure. 6, so as to support the grid sections at other places than the outside edges. These strengthening or supporting; members may ot course be 'formed as part of the framing or may be cast. burnt. pressed or riveted on after the large v@grid has been assembled.

A single frid may comprise one or more layers of expanded sheet in one frame, or it may comprise ay plurality ot frames. each with one or more expanded sheets joined together to formv one rqrid. Where one or more layers ot expanded sheet are used it is usually desirable to arrange that the. spaces on one sheet should be opposite the metal work ot the other sheet or mesh.

The trame members of the. `grids. plates or the like can be reinforced as shown in Fillures 8 and S) by rods K. In the form illustrated the edges of the expanded sheet (l are bent around the rods. and the edge training: members such as D, E. or F suitably formed thereon so as to provide a reinforced edging.

insulating spacing pieces may be moulded on to the grid, trame. etc. or may be incorporated in the skeleton trame. The purpose of these insulators is to keep one plate from touching its opposite plate when assembled.

lt Will readily be appreciated that the invention is applicable alike to secondary batteries ot the Faure and of the Plante type.

ln the former case the active paste is pressed into the meshes ot the expanded metal and is very firmly held or keyed thereon by virtue of the well known special shape which the angular diamond like In the or grid of process of meshes of expanded metal have. latter ease the prepared plate plates is subiectcd to thc usual rapid and continuous charging and dis-4 charging to lorm" the active material on the lead.

Accumuators made in accordance with this invention have al number of important practical advantages. Firstly. the use oi expanded metal for` the base ot the grids results in u, mechanically robust structure, silice the act-ive material is carried upon or formed upon a strong base which will not readily release the said material even under the ,effects of vibration. A` ain. the surface area ot the resultant plates is very substantial, an advantage ot considerable importance in the. ease ot Plante, type aeci'unulators. and one which makes for eliiciency in any case. It will-be. noted,-moreover that the inventionrenders it possible to construct a practical and .sturdy accunuilator `rid ot lead lia-viner a very small content ot antimony and/or other metals. In most known constructionscast grids have. been employethand, as is well known. in such constructions it has for practica-l reasons been thought necessary or desirable tor able content of antimony, `generally of the order of say 7% to 12% or 13%. Plates in accordance with this invention may, if desired be made of lead having an antimony content in the neighbourhood of 2.7% only and such plates have been found in practice to have very substantial advantages. Again the use ot casting for essential active ma terial-carrying portions ot the plates Yis avoided, and it Will readily be appreciated that the `Worked expanded sheet construction utilized accordingT to the present invention is mechanically stronger and less porous and more stable than cast material: indeed, by using a solid drawn alloy, rolling it and then expandiiur it, very great mechanical stability can be obtained.

Having` now particularly described and ascertained the, nature ot my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, l declare that what I claim is :--A

1. An electrode Agrid for batteries having two grid members, each grid member being of a sheet ot expanded metal having relatively solid edge portions in parallelism, the meshes of the expanded metal extending to the other edge portions of the members, said members being superimposed with the solid edge portions ot the different members at a right angle to each other, and each solid edge portion being; extended over the adjacent edge and remote side of the companion member.

2. In an accumulator plate, a grid for supporting the active material, consisting; of a sheet. of expanded lead whose material-receiving meshes arel substantially of diamond shape, and active material keyed in the meshes by the peculiar shape of the meshes.

the lead to havey a considersaid ,grid

v 3.111 Aan'zarcemmllator plate, a grid sulo 'tantially of expanded leadl with a low lantimony content, active material keyed in the meshes of theigrid by the peculiar shape thereof, and outer frame said grid of'a conducting metal more rigid than the material of the grid;

. el. In an accumulator. plate, a grid of ei;-

pan-ded metal Whose principal constituent is lead, active material keyed 'in the meshes'of the grid by thepeculiar shapethereo, and a rigid outer framework 4integral with said 'gri , 5. Asecondarybattery'having e plate con-v sistingof a plurality of superimposed sheets ofeXpandedme-tal Whose .principal constituf -6. In an accumulator lead, active material ent is lead',active materialkeyed in themeshes ofthe grid by the peculiar shape ot' i the meshes, andan outer framework forsaid sheets more ri 'd than thesheets and securingthem toget er. ,y

plate a "rid of expanded metal whose lrineipa cmistitiient-is eyedn the meshes oithe grid by the peculiar -shape of the meshes, I

said grid having an outer framework more',

rigid than the grid, and intermediate rein# 1 forcing members for the grid connected to the framework.

7. `A secondary battery, plate grid consisting of a sheet of expanded lead having active material keyed in its meshes by the peculiar shapegof the meshes.

8. A iiat secondary battery plate grid con- I sistingI of a sheet of rolledsolid. drawn eir-y pa-nded metal which is a conductor of elecn trlcity, having active material keyed in its meshes 'by the peculiar shape of the-meshes. 9. Abattery' plate grid consisting of-al sheet of expanded lead, Vand active material carried by `the grid on the portions of the 'grid at themeshes thereof. i

10. A battery plate grid consisting of a sheet of expamed conducting metal,and ac- SJ tivematerialearned by the grid ontlie portions pi? the grid at the meshes thereof.

" ERNEST rioiviAs'WILLIA-Ms. 

